Street Magick
by Death by Bambi Tapes
Summary: CHAPTER 3 UP! Elusive's a pick-pocket living in an abandoned building in New York with six others. She's got little respect for herself and little-to-no morals until she meets the Newsies and finds out what pride is...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I disclaim.  
  
PROLOGUE:  
  
The year's 1899, and I'm one of the many poor, homeless 'children' on the street. Life wasn't always that way for me though. It wasn't a picnic, mind you, but I wasn't living in an old abandoned building with between six to twelve udder kids: my supposed 'friends'.  
  
I'm a flash-man, well flash-woman, the slang term for pick-pocket. I'm the bestt since the Artful Dodger, and since he's just a fictional character I'm greater than anybody further back than that.  
  
My companions call me Elusive, and sometimes Hawkeyes and Juniper call me 'Little Cat' when they're proud of me. Gyn calls me 'Kitten' to spite me. Lightning can call me whatever he wants 'cause hey, I ain't no way I'se be getting' in his way. My birth name, though, is Kelly Theresa Burke. My father came over here from Ireland several years ago. My family's nobility, believe it or not, but it's not like that helps me here.  
  
My parents died (I'll spare you the gory details for now) so I decided that I would come here to Manhattan and live with my older half- sister Brigid. Or Hawkeyes, as she's known on the street. She and Juniper- he's her boy, I'd guess you'd say- kinda rule our group of ragged teens and children. I walked all the way to Manhattan from Boston. It's amazing how far you can walk without getting tired when you're running from something- even if the something you're running from is buried six feet under.  
  
Anyway so I guess that that's just insane blabber to your ears, so I'll try to stay to the point. My Da was married to 'Eyes' Ma when he decided to sleep around. He met my mother and Badda Bing, Badda Boom here's a little bastard child to have fun with. He felt like scum so he dumped 'Eyes and her mother and married me Mum (I'm so sure that made everyone feel soo much better). Me Da was abusive- mainly to me Mum. When they died I was in a big hurry to get outta there. I never met 'Eyes before that but I figured with my father's practically unearthly emerald eyes that I happened to inherit, that she probably inherited them too. She didn't so that plan failed but luckily I ran into Juniper, who happened to sleep with my sister often enough so that he could see the family resemblance and brought me to her.  
  
Juniper taught me how to pick pockets (for that I am indebted to him foreva) and he says that I'm even better than he is. I tell him that it's because I'm practically half his size but he don't pay any attention to me. He says I'm being modest- can you believe that! Me, modest. Yeah, right. I don' have nutin' ta be modest about.  
  
The gang- Hawkeyes, Juniper, Gyn, Lightning, Forgotten, Orb and Slipknot- are like family. You know the ones that you love, not because you choosta at first, but because you hafta. Later it turns ta love. They take care of me, and I take care of them- except Gyn who for all I care can die tonight and I won't bother to mourn. It's awful, I know, but you're not the one that has to live with the guy. Juniper'll take in a couple kids a night but we're the regulars and that pretty much how it stays. Everyone else has somethin' to go to, I guess.  
  
They all come from messed up family lives like me an' 'Eyes. Forgotten was abandoned in an apartment when she was born then she was taken in by this cranky ol' woman who abused her- your classic Cinderella story. She don't talk much, but when she does it's somethin' you should listen to.  
  
Orb and Slipknot are cousins who used to live in a two bedroom apartment along with their grandparents, parents, twelve siblings, tow aunts, two uncles and five other cousins. They got kicked outta there as soon as they could work and keep themselves healthy. Didn't work out the way they planned, though, but Juniper found 'em just like he found me and 'Eyes found him. Slip's a pickpocket by day and a cage fighter in one of the underground clubs by night. Sometimes he comes 'home' so beaten up it takes me, Hawkeyes and Orb until dawn to patch him up. Orb and Hawkeyes are 'employed' together. The kind of employment that involves sellin' yourself on the street corner. They say they do it cause they don't have a poker face- they couldn't steal if their lives depended on it, that all it would take is one look and everyone would know who stole that woman's money or that mans watch or that child's lollypop. 'Eyes is lyin' about that- anyone who keeps things as much of a secret as 'Eyes does should be able to keep it hidden that she took a couple measly cents, but you can really read Orb like a book. That's gonna hurt her one day in the life she chose, an' it's gonna hurt her little goil, Starr, bad too.  
  
Light'nin', well, he's just strange. You'se gotta be careful about what you say around him cause he'll take anything to heart and before you know it he'll be beatin' the crud outta you then the next moment he's calm an' relaxed. The first week I was here I learned that the hard way. Gyn still hasn't learned it and Ligh'nin' bests him five days a week. He fights for the same reason that Forgotten don't speak and I don' talk 'bout nuddin important. We'se all keepin secrets- from each udder and from the world.  
  
Gyn (if there was a way I could roll my eyes an' you could see me on paper.) he's all talk. He's got a bad attitude just cause he chooses to and he don't care 'bout anyone else. He's just an asshole an' he thinks wid his 'family jewels' more'n any boy I ever met.  
  
We'se a ragged bunch- Juniper bein' the oldest at twenty-three and Ebony bein' the youngest at three months. We all fill in ragged space in between- Slipknot an' Lightening are twenty, Hawkeyes at nineteen an' a half, Orb at eighteen, Gyn at seventeen and me at sixteen an' a half. God only knows how ol' Forgotten is but we assume it's somewhere between fifteen and seventeen, maybe more or maybe less. She's one of those people who at a passin' glance you would say's young but when ya look her in the face it seems she's lived a thousand years.  
  
We lives down the street a-ways from the World Building (a far aways, cause we'se near the outskirts of town), if you call sleeping on a couple a dirty blankets an' sitting on boxes an' broken footstools around a table nearly a foot shorter than its original height 'livin'.  
  
I talks a lot to somehow get to the point I wanna make without really makin' it. I've learned to sum it up quick livin' with me companions, so what I'm really getting at could be that life just sucks for me an' my 'family'. So that's it all simple-like and stuff.  
  
And so I lived some meaningless sorta existence wanderin' the streets of New York. An' then I met the newsies. But we'se not there yet. 


	2. Investing

Disclaimer: I disclaim.  
  
Chapter One: Investing  
  
Elusive stepped out from the streets and into the shadows of an alleyway. She crept quietly to a boarded up door and slipped through a small hole. She might be sixteen, but she was thin- only 100 pounds- and short- about 5'3".  
  
"Hey, Lil' Elusive goil."  
  
She turned quickly as her eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness inside the building from the still bright, but quickly fading light outside. "Jesus God, Slip'not whaddya have to go scarin' me outta my wits for?"  
  
"Ah, I was bored so it seemed loike fun." Slipknot lounged on the ratted old couch he, Lightning and Juniper had dragged in from the street corner in front of the World Building a year or so ago. The twenty-year-old ran a hand through his blond hair.  
  
"Where you been all day, lil' goil?" he added, the tone in his voice saying that it he really didn't care- that he was just making small talk.  
  
"Investing, Slip, investing." Elusive grinned wickedly.  
  
"Investing? Investin', ey? I loike that." He grinned and grabbed Elusive's hand and pulled her down to the couch.  
  
"Slip. Slip. don't you dare. Or i'll have ta hurt ya." The girl wiggled to get away from his grasp.  
  
"Hoirt me, eh?" Slipknot grinned widely.  
  
"Slip."  
  
She let out a shriek as Slipknot began to tickle her waist. She squirmed and howled with laughter. "Slip! Slip.you'se.you'se gotta.gotta stop it. Slip! SLIP!"  
  
"SLIP!" Lightning's voice thundered towards the couch from a room near the back of the building. "Will ya cut the crap?! I'm tryin' ta sleep!"  
  
"Yes, sir." Slipknot rolled his eyes and scooted away from Elusive. When no answer came from the back he turned back to Elusive. "Jeez, Lil' Cat," he said, a nickname he had picked up from Juniper and Hawkeyes. "He's full of piss today, ain't he kiddo?"  
  
"Isn't he always?" Elusive kicked up her legs over the arm of the couch and laid her head on Slip's corduroy lap.  
  
"Yeah." Slipknot muttered thoughtfully as he messed up the girl's hair affectionately. "Sure as hell is."  
  
They sat in silence for a while. "So. where's da oudders?"  
  
"'Eyes an' Juniper are out somehere- God knows where. Orb's wit the baby walkin' the streets an' rockin' Starr ta sleep. His Royal Majesty Lightn'in is inna deep slumber in his royal chamber, Forgotten's out an' about, an' Gyn said somethin' this mornin' about talkin' to a goil so he may not be back tonight."  
  
Elusive rolled her eyes. Gyn was always out with some girl. She didn't get what they saw in him and she voiced that opinion.  
  
Slipknot laughed. "Ah, well, they'se loikes bad boys like Gyn. Tall, dark an' handsome, Orbsie says." he rubbed her hair once more. "Oi don't get it eidder, Elusive. It beats da hell outta me."  
  
"Soes. what time ya gotta get ta da club tonite Slip?"  
  
"'Bout nineish. Why?"  
  
She was quiet for a second. "Can Oi come?"  
  
"No way ." Slipknot pushed Elusive's head out of his lap and leapt to his feet. "You'se not allowed dere, 'Lusive. Juniper would skin me alive."  
  
"Aww come on, Slipp'ry." She said, using a nickname from when she first met him in attempt to get under his defenses. "Oi wanna come. Juniper doesn't haveta know."  
  
"Oi ain't fallin' for it, 'Lusive. You'se gotta stay here."  
  
"But it's so boring here. You'se gone, Forgotten don't talk, Lightn'in's at da track tryin' to hustle unsuspectin' kids, Orb's got her hand full wit lil' Starr and, well, you know what 'Eyes an' Juniper are up ta."  
  
"Bull, 'Lusive. That's bull an' Oi ain't fallin' for dat eidder. You'se actin' loike you'se Starr's age, complainin' an all."  
  
"Shove it, Slip. Oi jus' don't loike bein' bored outta my mind. Is dat a crime?" Her intense green eyes bore into Slipknot's light blue ones.  
  
"No, but you ain't comin' wit me kiddo. "  
  
"Then what am Oi supposed ta do?" she asked as Lightning came out of the back room clad only in his pants, showing off his muscles.  
  
"Ey, Lightn'in d'ya moind takin' the Lil' cat here ta da track wit yas?"  
  
Lightning looked Elusive down with a calculating eye, his bangs falling into his face. "Nah, she's a pretty one with her dark looks an' her green eyes." He said with boredom in his voice, "She's bound ta attract some unsuspecting lil' boys."  
  
"Great." Elusive said, rolling her eyes. "Ya know how I love ta be your bait, Lightn'in." she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
The young man shrugged. "Well, if you'se likes stayin' 'round here then."  
  
"Foine, I'll be your lil' whore for the night, Lightn'in." she spat good-naturedly. "But they ain't getting' nuddin. An' no getting drunk again loike last time."  
  
Slipknot shot a glare at Lightning at this new information. "Or else me an' Juniper'll skin yas."  
  
Elusive laughed and threw her arms around Lightning's waist. "Aww, come on, Slip. Lightn'in's a happy drunk." Lightning shoved her away and rolled his eyes.  
  
"Still." Slipknot said with a tone of finality in his voice as he picked up the old cloth bag he always brought to the club. "You'se be good."  
  
Lightening just nodded his head and lead Elusive out into the darkness of the New York streets. 


	3. Business

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or places from Newsies and that make me incredibly sad.  
  
CHAPTER TWO: BUSINESS  
  
Elusive sat on the top rail of a fence at the racetrack, watching Lightning hustle some short, brown-haired boy. She watched them with a calculating eye, then gave up on trying to figure out what her companion was feeding the kid. Lightning was part Chinese or Korean or something like that- he never discussed his heritage with anyone and she wasn't learned enough to figure it out, and was more than learned enough to know not to bring it up. One of his parents was probably an American, so as a result Lightning stood about six-five with handsome Asian features and straight black hair. Elusive was jarred back to the world when he said something to the boy and walked over to her.  
  
He leaned against the fence and for a while they said nothing, just watched the racehorses prance towards the starting gate. "So.which hoss's da best?"  
  
"Color Me Pretty." He said without hesitation, then a second later he elaborated. "But she's jus' a lil' filly, so it don't seem loike it. I'se been tellin' dem all that Texas Sky's the best hoss. He could be, if he had a different jockey-one that didn't wear him out so early. But he ain't and he don't so I'se gonna be getting' alotta cash."  
  
Elusive laughed good-naturedly.  
  
"'Ey Lightn'in." the brown haired boy from before walked up.  
  
Lightning rolled his dark eyes. "Whad'da ya want, Higgins?"  
  
"I'se needsta talk ta ya." The Higgins boy and Lightning looked at Elusive.  
  
She rolled her eyes and hopped off the fence. "Aiight, aiight. But I's loike ya ta know dat I'se was 'ere foirst." She said, holding her hands up in an 'I surrender' position.  
  
The girl ducked, laughing, as Lightning took a swing at her. She walked away, still chuckling to herself. He wasn't angry so he wouldn't follow- the guy had business to do, anyway. Business, she mused, some business.  
  
Elusive took a seat near the fence and watched as the racehorses exploded from the starting gate. The bay Texas Sky was in the lead, followed closely by the little light gray filly that could only be Color Me Pretty. They duked it out for a while, struggling for the lead far ahead of the rest of the pack. Soon, as Lightning had predicted, the colt grew tired and began to fall behind. She watched as Color Me Pretty cleared the finish line ahead of the rest of the racehorses.  
  
She stood as the crowd behind her cheered or groaned and she laughed as she heard a couple of comments that ran along the line of "I'm gonna soak dat liar Lightn'in."  
  
Elusive wove though the crowd to the spot where she had left Lightning and Whatever Higgins. She came to the fence and Lightning was gone. She groaned and ran a hand through her dark hair. "God dammit."  
  
"Don' worry sweethart. He'se jus' gone collectin' his winnins." He took a drag from his cigar, then extended a hand to Elusive. "I'm Racetrack Higgins."  
  
"Elusive." She said, shaking his hand. He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it, and grinned as she laughed, amused by antics that seemed second nature to him.  
  
"So whatsa pretty goil like you'se doin with a brute loike Lightn'in'?"  
  
She sighed good-naturedly. "I'm stuck with him until I get outta this place."  
  
"New York?" he asked.  
  
"No." She stared at him. "Sheepshed Races. Oi loike it in New York."  
  
He laughed. "Mosta da time it's the opposite. Kids loike us wantin' ta get outta here."  
  
This city's a haven for me, she thought to herself, bewildered, why would I want to leave it?  
  
But instead she responded, "Yeah. Oi hoird."  
  
"Hey! 'Lusive! Come on, let's go." Lightning's hand gripped her shoulder as he appeared outta the crowd and began to steer her away.  
  
"See ya Lightn'in', 'Lusive." Racetrack nodded.  
  
She followed Lightning out of the Races and onto the street. Lightning pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "So." He said, taking a long drag. "D'ya wanna get somethin' ta eat? My treat."  
  
She raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "Jeez, you'se sure happy, ain't ya? How much money did ya get?"  
  
He laughed, though like all his laughs it was a laugh without joy, as if laughing was just a habit. "'Nough to last a week or so."  
  
She followed him inside the small bar on the corner. "Aiight, but don' blow it all on drinks."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Elusive rolled her eyes from her seat in a booth at Lightning and his chum, Roan, chuckling drunkenly at the bar. Groaning she threw her napkin down on the table and stood, walking over to Lightning. "C'mon, Lightn'in, we'se gotta go."  
  
"'Ey, 'Lusive." Roan slurred, wrapping his arms around her waist and dragging her onto his lap. "No greetin's for ya old pal?"  
  
"'Ey, letteh go, Roan." Lightning growled, drunk though still aware that if his friend did anything to the girl, he'd be killed by Juniper and Slipknot- and hey even Hawkeyes might join into the fray.  
  
"Yeah, Roan, lemme go." Elusive pried his arms from around her waist. Roan shrugged and turned his to talk to a blond girl sitting next to him.  
  
"Let's go, Lightn'in'." she repeated.  
  
"Aiight, aiight." He paid the tab and walked with Elusive out of the door and into the black night. 


	4. Arguing Already?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Newsies, but I won Elusive, Lightn'in, Gyn, Slip, Hawkeyes, Juniper, Starr, Orb, Forgotten and Kristin. I'd willing trade anyone of them fro Blink or Pie Eater though. except maybe Lightn'in. hehehe nah just kidding even he ain't worth it. And I'm rambling.  
  
A/N: Thanks to Neppy, Charly and KatFightOnSkis for reviewing! Glad you like it so far. And thanks to my beta reader Katie (aka Enchanted) for helping me edit and stuff. I redid some of the earlier chapters a little, and hopefully I fixed some really confusing things- at least the ones I wanted fixed at that time. *evil grin*  
  
Chapter Three:  
  
"Hey lil' sistah." Hawkeyes drawled from the couch as Elusive crawled in through the door. Hawkeyes' hair was long, flowing down to her elbows, and a reddish-brown like Elusive's, though Elusive's hair was darker.  
  
"'Ey." She said lazily, returning the greeting.  
  
"Where ya been?" Hawkeyes asked, not turning her eyes away from the book in her lap.  
  
"At da track wit Lightn'in."  
  
"Where's he?"  
  
Elusive started, and turned around, looking for him. "He wuz here just a second ago." She peeked her head out into the alleyway. "Dere 'e is."  
  
She crawled out and walked up to Lightning, whose head was shoved into a garbage can in the corner where he retched up the alcohol.  
  
"Ya know, dis always happens." She said, placing a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Gerrout." He spat glaring at her, then opened his mouth once more to say something else. He quickly snapped it shut, and plunged his head into the garbage can once more.  
  
She handed him one of the paper napkins she had taken from the bar when he resurfaced. "Ya kno, you'se holds yer liquor worse'n anybody Oi evah met."  
  
"'Thanks for da support." He said dryly as he wiped his mouth. He caught sight of something behind her. "'Ey, Gyn."  
  
Elusive rolled her eyes and turned to see the dark-haired boy walking up the alley with one hand shoved into his pocket, and the other settled on the waist of a shapely blonde.  
  
"'Ey, Lightn'in. Kitten." He added as an after though, grinning evilly.  
  
"Get sick an' die, Gyn." She sneered back and crawled through the door into the building once more.  
  
"You'se shouldn't be so mean, 'Lusive." Gyn said, crawling through the hole in his turn, then turning to offer a hand to the blonde as she crawled though.  
  
Hawkeyes groaned from the couch. "Arguin' aiready? You'se just got back."  
  
"He started it." Elusive snapped.  
  
"Ah, dat's right lil' Kitten. Act foive years old an' blame it on me."  
  
"Shove it up yer-"  
  
"Hey."  
  
Juniper crawled in the door and stood behind Lightning, standing about two inches above the hustler. "You two'se quit it 'else I'se soak ya."  
  
There was quiet for a while as Elusive sheepishly looked down at her bare feet and Gyn visibly ignored Juniper, but still kept quiet.  
  
"Oi guess you two ain't friends." The blonde said in a sugary voice.  
  
Lightning laughed harshly as he settled himself on a stool. "Dey ain't on borrowin' turms."  
  
"Eh-ha." Elusive laughed saracstically.  
  
"Tah put it li'tly." Gyn muttered at the same time.  
  
"Oi'se goin' for a walk." Elusive shoved her way past Gyn and Lightning, then stopped. "Ah, crap, Slip. Whaddya do ta yerself now?"  
  
Slipknot gave a small half-smile, sporting a split lip and a new black eye. "Oi didn't do it ta myself, Lil' Cat, Oi had a budday 'elp meh."  
  
Hawkeyes lifted her eyes from her book for a second and looked over Slipknot from her seat curled up on the couch, then looked back down at the book. "You'll live."  
  
"Noice tah see ya concoirned fah me, 'Eyes." Slipknot smiled full out, then winced in pain when his lip cracked come more.  
  
Orb, appearing from the back room holding her baby rolled her eyes when she saw him. "You'se can't stay patched up fah one day, cahn yas?"  
  
She passed the baby to Elusive, who stood there awkwardly holding Starr as the baby stirred. Orb took out a handkerchief from a pocket in her skirt and spit on it, then moved to wipe it against Slipknot's split lip.  
  
He grabbed her wrist and held it at an arms length, leaning back away from the handkerchief.  
  
"Whaddya doin?!" he exclaimed, a look of disgust on his face.  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Oi'm wipin' da blood off ya bonehead."  
  
"You spit on it!"  
  
"So?"  
  
"So dat's disgusting. Dat's loike kissin' yer cousin!"  
  
"Foine!" Orb pulled her arm away. "Bleed all ovah da place."  
  
There was silence for a while, then a gasp of pain came from Gyn. "Introduce me." The blonde hissed.  
  
"Aiight, aiight." He said, rubbing his side. "Da tall one's Juniper, da one wit da book's Hawkeyes, the busted one's Slipknot and his cousin- da one wit da spit, is Orb. Da udder one's Lightn'in and da one holdin' da baby loike it's contaminated's Elusive."  
  
Orb quickly took her baby back into her arms.  
  
"An' dis is Krist'n."  
  
They mumbled their greetings and sat down, finished with any little formalities that they were tolerating for the moment. Juniper pulled Hawkeyes into his lap and looked over her shoulder at the book- not making any of it out, though, since he couldn't read. Every so often he's place a light kiss on her neck and a slight smile would appear at the corner of her mouth.  
  
"'Ey, where's Forgotten? She ain't 'ere." Slipknot noticed as he surveyed the room.  
  
Elusive looked up. "Oi dunno. Oi ain't seen her since dis mornin'."  
  
"Before you'se went out 'investing'?" Slipknot asked, arching an eyebrow and holding in a grin.  
  
Juniper chuckled. "Investin', eh Little Cat?"  
  
"Ah, you'se all jus' so funny I think Oi'll puke." She rolled her eyes.  
  
"We'se just teasin' kiddo." Slipknot laughed.  
  
"Yeah. Teasin'. Whaever." She stood and brushed off her skirt. "I'm going to bed." 


	5. Smiles

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from Newsies. Elisive and Slip are mine, though, and that makes me oh-so-incredibly happy.  
  
CHAPTER FOUR: Smile  
  
Elusive walked out of the alley, wearing pants and an old shirt of Slipknots, braiding her hair and not paying attention to where she was going. She bumped into an old business-like man and grabbed his coat to catch her balance.  
  
"I'm sorry sir." She said quickly. "It's my fault. I didn't hurt you or your wife, did I?"  
  
"No." the man smiled. "We're quite alright."  
  
She turned to walk away and a smile grew on her face when she heard the man's wife remark "What a sweet little girl."  
  
Elusive opened her hand, revealing a bag of change in her palm. It was way too easy. She finished her braids and continued walking down the street as she pocketed the money.  
  
"Extry! Extry! Read all about it! Ellis Island in flames!" she heard a newsie call out as she passed a fighting ring.  
  
She rolled her eyes. She had read the paper this morning.there goes another newsie 'fixing' the headlines. She smiled. Sounds like something I'd do.  
  
Of course, she couldn't do that. Newsies were boys, they only hired boys, and the girls went off to work in factories. What fun. Guys get to stand out in the sun, and girls crawled between machines and spun cloth, getting hair caught, fingers cut off and all having a fun ol' time.  
  
Luckily, she thought to herself, I'm gifted. I don't need to work. I'm fine investin' in people's pockets. No one would hire me anyway, not a runaway orphan like me.  
  
Her breath caught in her throat as she stopped and stared at a particular newsie. Her brain numbed and she lost thought of anything about investing or business, all she could think about was Wow.  
  
"'Ey 'Lusive."  
  
Elusive jumped, then turned and glared at Slipknot. "D'ya foind joy in scarin' me to death ev'ry day?"  
  
"Ah, yas ain't dead, 'Lusive. Whatcha doin?" he said suddenly, changing the subject and looking where she had been staring just moments before.  
  
"Oooooh." He grinned. "Little Elusive's gots a crush."  
  
"No I don't" she snapped. "I don't ev'n know 'im. An' I don' get 'crushes'"  
  
"Yes, you'se do." He grinned. "You had a crush on me when yas moved 'ere."  
  
"Yeah," she growled, "Well then I gots ta know yas."  
  
"Anyway, stay aways from 'im." Slipknot said, suddenly stern. "We'se don' loike newsies."  
  
"We don'?" she asked. Well, that's news.  
  
"No, we'se don'."  
  
"An' why not?"  
  
"Cause." Slipknot said as if he were speaking to a small child. "As long as they're out here makin' a livin' for themselves, we're frown'd 'pon an' nuddin'll ever changer fer us. As long as da newsies are bein' good, we's crooks just by keepin' ourselves alive."  
  
"An' dat's my shirt. I told yas ta stay outta my stuff, kiddo."  
  
He stalked off, leaving Elusive there. I don't like being told what to do, she growled inside her thoughts, I should go talk to him right now. She took a step towards the newsie, then stopped as butterflies sprouted in her stomach. Or maybe I'll just do it another day.  
  
And she bolted in the other direction.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
She walked down the street an hour later, still berating herself. She kept her eyes on her feet and her hand on the pouch of money she stole- it wouldn't do any good to have another pickpocket steal it. She crashed into someone else, but this time it wasn't intentional.  
  
She looked up into the blue eye of the newsie from before, and as he smiled she lost any coherent thought that ever flittered through her brain.  
  
""Ey." He smiled sweetly at her.  
  
"Uh..'ey." she said meekly, forcing out anything at all.  
  
"Whatcha doin' 'ere?" he asked innocently.  
  
"Uh.um..I.uh.hey." she stuttered.  
  
He smiled wider and tried again. "They call me Kid Blink. Who are you."  
  
"Uh..I..ummm." Say something, you stupid girl! Say anything! she screamed to herself.  
  
"What happened to your eye?" she blurted out, then felt heat rise to her face as she blushed.  
  
Anything but that.  
  
Smooth move, Kelly.  
  
"That's my little secret." He said, still smiling. God, he's have to stop doing that before she melted into a puddle. Turning her eyes away, she tried talking again.  
  
"So. You'se a newsie."  
  
Very observant, you bonehead.  
  
"Yup. You'se work at a factory or somethin'?"  
  
She turned to look at him again and got struck dumb once more. "Nah, I'm a pickpocket."  
  
I am such an idiot.  
  
"I mean." she started, turning redder than she was before  
  
He just smiled sweetly.  
  
"Stop it!" she snapped.  
  
His smile left. "Stop what?" he asked, taking a step back.  
  
"Stop yer smilin'! Oi can't think a stinkin' thought an' I'm gonna end up walkin' straight off da Brooklyn Bridge and wid'ot realizin' it! So please, stop smilin'!" She exclaimed, close to hysterics.  
  
Perhaps that wasn't smart to say either, Elusive.  
  
Damn, how does Hawkeyes talk to gorgeous guys without goin' ta pieces?, she cursed the unfairness of life.  
  
"So you'se a flash-man- I mean, flash-woman.er.flash-poirsen." He corrected himself.  
  
She was tempted to answer: No, my sister's a flash-woman, but bit her tongue before anything else stupid came out.  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"You'se don' woirk in a fact'ry?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
Great, stupid, you sound real intelligent. Why don't you mention to him that you have a foot or something. She thought dryly.  
  
"Oi haf a foot." She blurted out.  
  
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "What?"  
  
"Uh- I can't woirk at a fact'ry."  
  
"Well, maybe if you wanna turn respectable or sumthin', maybe you'se would wanna come to da Woild Buildin' tomorrah and maybe sell papes.wit me.if you'se loikes."  
  
She just opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again.  
  
Great, Elusive, first you're an idiot now you'se doin' terrible fish impression. Real striking.  
  
"Dey don' 'ire goils." She said.  
  
"I didn' say apply foir a jub, oi said.'elp me. Keep me company, an' if anyone passes widout buyin' a pape, you'se can take dey're penny or somthin'" he said, trying to crack a joke.  
  
"Ah.um.oi'll think 'bout it."  
  
Good you're learning something.  
  
She turned to leave but as her senses returned as Kid Blink left her vision, she felt something familiar in her hands.  
  
"'Ere." She said, grabbing his hand and putting his money in. "Sorry. Reflex."  
  
And she darted away down the street. 


End file.
